Teresa E. Dews, MD, the new president of Cleveland Clinic Euclid (Ohio) Hospital, discusses the challenges her facility is facing and why it's important for her to speak up.
Question: What are some of the key challenges facing your hospital today?
Dr. Teresa Dews: We are always working to maintain and enhance the current excellent quality, safety, patient experience achievements and caregiver engagement at Euclid Hospital. At the same time, we see a need to review and improve the infrastructure and expand services that make sense for our patients, community and hospital.
Q: What are the strategies you are implementing to ensure your facility continues to thrive?
TD: We are committed to investing in our caregivers, technology and our facility which helps us deliver excellent care and improve efficiencies. We also want to continue working closely with our community and increase our collaboration.
Q: What excites you most about healthcare today and what worries you most?
TD: I am very interested in innovations that will improve patient access, care and the overall experience and the focus on prevention. I am watchful of the discussions related to changes in U.S. healthcare, as we are all stakeholders and need to make sure that any proposals add value, maintain or improve appropriate access and are affordable.
Q: What is the best piece of leadership advice ever given to you?
TD: When I was new to my CMO role at Hillcrest Hospital, President Richard Parker, MD, told me I needed to speak up. 'People really want to know where you stand.' I learned to balance my natural tendency to observe and take things in with proactively guiding effective dialogue.
Leadership advice I give to others: Love your work. Lead from your core values. If you find an aspect of your job a nuisance, change your perspective. If you have a pain point, work to improve the situation. Lastly, help everyone.